High-quality Precious Minerals dealers, Agyaba Jewellery has been awarded the topmost award at the recently held Presidential Globe African Honours 2021 in a high profile Awards gala at the Accra International Conference Centre.
The well-organized event, put together by Rectitude International Mission (RIM), World Diplomatic Federation (WODIF) and powered by the Bureau of Research on Governance and Commerce Administration (BORGCA) sought to reward individuals and corporate organizations who distinguish themselves in their various fields of endeavours.
The renowned research body, BORGCA bestowed the honours on Agyaba, who are noted for quality minerals in Ghana and abroad after thorough research on their works.
According to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Agyaba Jewellery Dr Agyaba Kwame Afriyie, the recognition will to a large extent urge him and his team to go the extra mile.
He said in a post-event interview “We are indeed honoured for this huge recognition, it goes to show that our stand on not compromising on quality will continue to be our guiding principle. We are grateful for this award.”
The philanthropist awardee, with a humble beginning of a goalkeeper and later a lead guitarist, started as a gold merchant during his short spell with the Alex Konadu band.
His rare honesty and faithfulness endeared him to all the clients he dealt with.
The Chief Executive Chancellor, His Meritorious Eminence Dr Christian Kwetey Kweitsu, the Federal Council President of World Diplomatic Federation (WODIF) said in his address, “The World Diplomatic Federation and its affiliates partners cherish in honouring individuals and corporate institutions to bait and urge people to do more for society.
“Let us get focused on our dreams and ensure we achieve them than being bothered with matters that are not necessary.
“The WODIF looks up to situations to honour deserving people in our society than rather wait to see one passing on to eternity before acknowledging his/her achievements.”
He added “It is our obligation and our mission to project the goodwill of the people. It is painful, seeing great men and women gone to eternity without being recognized and honoured for the successes made in their time.
“Every human institution should understand that the world is looking up to our impact and downtrends in life, so must endeavour to forge ahead, irrespective of the challenges that may culminate.
“Nonetheless, madam chairperson, the media, politicians, public servants, clergy and Traditional leaders, let us use our positions to create historic legendary livelihoods and be ready to leave legacies for the next generation to follow and keep for life.
“Madam Chairperson, we would want to use this august occasion to congratulate you and foresee meeting our international award scheme dubbed PHERENIKE in the United States which is one of the fewer awards recognized as most prestigious in the world history. The award scheme will soon be launched. Our Viscount Lord Isaac Rockson will throw more light to our subsequent awards.”
The Federal Council President of WODIF Professor Victor Yankah, Faculty of Arts, University of Cape Coast (UCC) in his speech said
“The Theme is Sustaining The Integrity of Ghana Through Exemplary Leadership and Holistic Discipline, the links between the three key terms are remarkable. But I would like to discuss them in reverse order – bottom-up, as it were. A holistically disciplined people would lead to the evolution of disciplined and exemplary leaders from amongst them, and they would eventually build a nation that stands tall in integrity amongst the comity of nations.
“Let’s begin with holistic discipline. What breed of youth are we raising? I have interacted with our youth in lecture rooms, in trotros in the streets and other places and one thing hits me in the face with the force of a sledgehammer. Our youth are losing three vital things: our culture, creativity and patriotism. I would blame the first two on both external and internal forces. The third I would blame on our internal negligence.”
He added “We easily blame our loss of culture on the appetite of our youth to see everything foreign as the best, but we have forgotten that as a nation, we have encouraged this situation by inflicting a foreign constitution on ourselves. Our dear nation is touted as a beacon of democracy in Africa, and I doff my hat to the crafters of our national constitution. But, apparently in our excitement and hurry to operate a democracy, perhaps, owing to the fact that we had been under a military regime for a long time, we overlooked a few potential threats to our nationhood.”
He noted that “….Secondly, and this is my suggestion which might sound ridiculous and belated, We have regions of unequal population, yet we compute the winner of our presidential race on fifty percent plus one, whatever that means. Why don’t we allocate percentages to the regions based on the populations so that if a particular candidate wins a particular region he takes that percentage? Then, in the end, we compute the totals in percentages and declare our president.
“Creativity. Most nations develop according as they solve the problems they are confronted with. The western world used its creativity to solve its problems which are in most cases different from ours. Our problem is that we quickly fall on their ready-made solutions, some of which are not really suited to our peculiar situation. Let me give an example I have used elsewhere. We switched to driving on the right from the left on 4th August 1974. Culturally, it is a mark of disrespect to wave or greet someone with the left hand. For those of us who drive, attempt to wave at someone with your right hand while driving and you understand what I’m driving at. Our educational system should encourage creativity and inventiveness. Our curriculum developers should eschew foreign influences that tend to detract from our culture as well as blight their creativity.
“Lack of patriotism in the youth is perhaps the most dangerous of all our aberrations. I remember as a middle schoolboy, I fell in love with a book called “Civics for Self-government” His Excellency, President Akufo Addo has asked that we be citizens. What does it take to be a citizen? Who is educating us on citizenship? How many of our youth know about the three types of citizens – Mr Good, Mr. Passive and Mr. Bad very clearly delineated in “Civics for Self-government”? We have ended up creating a situation in which people have become experts in the aspects that talk about rights and freedoms, and they tout these all over the place without any thought about responsibilities, because they lack civic education. We have a very elaborate institution called the National Commission on Civic Education. How much funding are we giving to this institution that should be forging the minds of our youth in civic education in our democracy? Ghana playing a match against Brazil, you find Ghanaian youth supporting Brazil. Ask them why and they will tell you that they admire the Brazilian play.”
The WODIF Federal President mentioned “So, what kind of leadership do we get? Leaders who are supposed to be visionary are in short supply. We have leaders who want to be praised for their mediocrity. They use their position and resources to personal aggrandizement and glorification rather than show selfless devotion to the task of nation-building. They prefer to issue edicts for the control of organs of government and the people rather than serve the interest of the people. Instead of allowing institutions to work, they exploit the technical loopholes in those institutions to their benefit.
“Worse of all, such leaders may be suppressing people in their own nation, however, through their influence and links with the media and powerful external bodies which support them because the wreck of their nations is their gain, they create the impression of a nation that’s doing very well. Let me say this here. I suspect this may make some people think of changing my sleeping place, but the truth must be told. When the people you call your foreign partners to continue to applaud your superintendence over the problems beware. They are applauding the fact that you are serving their purpose – a fragmented Africa will serve to build their own.
“Leadership of integrity, creative leadership that carries the populace along with them owing to the appeal of their ideas and disciplined leadership are as rare as the urine of a rooster.”
He said in conclusion “Let our leaders be listeners rather than unilateral decision-makers (I am at pains to use the expression democratic dictators). Let them be people who have the guts to make decisions in the interest of their countries and damn the consequences rather than fawners listening and pleading in foreign parlours of condescension, before people who seek only their interests and nothing else. Let our leaders be persons who seek the integrity of their countries in everything they do. Let them be men and women of the people rather than tricksters of the people.”
The event, arranged by Rectitude International Mission (RIM), WODIF and powered by BORGCA was chaired by Her Excellency Rina Yakuel Kerzner.